Vaping association president: New laws regulating e-cigarettes are 'entirely appropriate'

[September 10, 2021]  By Elyse Kelly

(The Center Square) – With the signing of Senate Bills 512 and 555 into law, distributors of e-products in Illinois are held to a higher standard including not targeting children with their marketing and ending the usage of harmful additives, according to a news release from the governor's office.

American Vaping Association President Gregory Conley applauds the state for its largely responsible regulations surrounding e-products.

“For years we have argued before state legislators that prohibition does not work and instead sound and reasonable regulations that are actually enforced is the key to having a well-performing well-regulated market,” he said.

Conley says regulation allows e-cigarettes to remain available to those adults who are trying to quit smoking.

“It is critical to public health that these products are fairly regulated and not just banned because there remains about 34-36 million American adult smokers – they should not be left behind,” he said.

The new laws also provide authorities the power to enforce compliance with the state’s minimum purchasing age of 21, according to the news release.

Conley said the law that fixed Illinois’ legal purchasing age at 21 was very instrumental in reducing the numbers of youth using e-products in the state, but there’s still work to be done.

“We also are cognizant of the fact that we need to bring down youth usage in this country if this industry hopes to have permission from legislators like those in Illinois to continue to exist,” he said.

He is optimistic these new laws will further that work.
 

“Regulations like those found in Senate Bill 512 are entirely appropriate,” he said. “There is no need, for example, for cartoons to be on the bottle of an e-liquid product.”

Conley said he hopes more distributors will be tested to ensure they are following the law once the pandemic lightens.

“Because if there are companies that are not following the law and are doing so maliciously, they should be prosecuted and fined for that action so that they reform themselves,” he said.